Excess weight and associated factors among Xavante Indigenous adults, Central Brazil

Considered an important public health problem among Indigenous peoples in Brazil, obesity is a risk factor for Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) and conditions. The present study aimed to describe the occurrence of excess weight, obesity, and associated factors in Xavante Indigenous adults, through a nutritional survey carried out in the population ≥ 15 years of age living in the Pimentel Barbosa and Wedezé Indigenous Lands, Mato Grosso, Central Brazil, during the period of June to August 2011. Eight of the 10 villages in the territory were investigated. Anthropometric, bioimpedance and socioeconomic data were collected. This study counted on 495 participants, corresponding to 94.1% of the target population. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 65.9% (male: 63.2%; female: 68.6%) and 19.8% (male: 21.3%; female: 18.2%), respectively. In the multiple regression model, the prevalence of excess weight was higher among women, in higher age groups and education levels, in individuals living in group 2 of the villages, and in households with low consumption of farmed foods. An increase in the age group aged 20 to 49 years and in individuals living in households with a low consumption of food from hunting, fishing, and gathering presented the highest prevalence of obesity.